Manufactured Sweetness: World Chocolate Day | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 131
Episode 131 of #PodSaveChocolate features a deep-ish dive into the history of World Chocolate Day (celebrated on July 7th, this coming Monday in 2025) and how it has been, and will be, observed this year in the US and elsewhere.
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Episode 131 Overview
What is World Chocolate Day, anyway?
Why was it created? Who created it? When was it first observed? Why is it celebrated on July 7th? The answers to all these questions â‹Ż and more â‹Ż will be revealed in this episode of PodSaveChocolate.
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
There is surprisingly little useful information in the Wikipedia entry, but some of the Reference links are interesting. Wired covered the topic? (Badly.)
What is World Chocolate Day?
World Chocolate Day is an annual, global celebration of chocolate that occurs on July 7th. Its stated purpose is straightforward: as a day for chocolate fans of all flavors and all walks of life worldwide to proclaim their enjoyment of, and indulge in, chocolate in all its myriad forms.
The TL;DR: World Chocolate Day is an informal celebration without any formal recognition by international bodies (e.g., the United Nations or UNESCO). It is not a UN-designated international day. No treaty or global institution “officially” endorses July 7 as Chocolate Day; its observance relies on grassroots and industry enthusiasm.
However, as awareness has grown, proponents of World Chocolate Day began framing it in broader themes, with an emphasis this year on highlighting sustainable cocoa, reflecting increased interest (or the perception of increased interest or the desire to increase interest) in ethical and environmental issues in chocolate production.
Why July 7th?
The primary justification offered for the July 7th date is the suggestion that it marks the anniversary of chocolate's introduction to Europe in the year 1550.
The language used in supporting this connection is inconsistent and tentative. Sources state that “some suggest” this is the anniversary or that the day is “believed to mark” this event. This cautious phrasing is significant, revealing the lack of confidence that the historical claim cannot be documented as fact. While appealing in their simplicity, claims do not stand up to historical scrutiny.
The TL;DR: July 7th, 1550 is a very modern retrojection; a retconning devised to lend historical weight to an excuse (as if we needed still yet another one) for celebrating chocolate. A review of sources available online reveals no conclusive evidence of a notable event related to chocolate’s arrival in Europe occurring on July 7th, 1550 (or any year).
When Was World Chocolate Day Inaugurated? By Whom?
While its origin story is mytho-history, the earliest sources for the year of the inaugural World Chocolate Day agree it was first celebrated in 2009.
But there is no clear understanding of who first proposed or advocated for this day. The mystery of the unknown founder/visionary is not a failure of record-keeping; instead, it has become a defining feature of the holiday’s origin.
World Chocolate Day was not established by a single entity's proclamation. Rather, it represents an all-too-common form of “modern digital folklore.”
World Chocolate Day is a “tradition” that emerged and spread through the networked, self-reinforcing mechanisms of the Internet, likely seeded by a small-ish group of content creators (bloggers and influencers) who listed the event in online marketing guides, which then was amplified by other media outlets and brands eager to capitalize (figuratively and literally) on such a universally appealing topic.
The TL;DR: In this decentralized account of its founding, there is no single founder because the holiday was effectively “crowd-sourced” into existence. Because the “why” of its founding was not to commemorate a historical event (but to fill a content niche and provide a marketable moment for a global audience), the “who” was not an important component of this narrative.
But, Wait! Aren’t There At Least Two?
That answer to those questions, as it is with many things in chocolate, is “It depends.” I am not sure if the confusion is deliberate but there is some confusion. Let’s untangle dates and names.
World Chocolate Day – July 7th (click the down arrow to expand) »
Details above.
International Chocolate Day – September 13th (US)
Promoted by trade organizations like the National Confectioners Association, September 13th is Milton Hershey’s birthday. Hershey is inarguably one of the most influential names in American chocolate from fin-de-siecle 19th century.
National Chocolate Day (the first, US)
October 28th.
National Chocolate Day (the second, US)
December 28th.
Other [Notable?] Chocolate Holidays (US)
• National Cocoa Day
• National Milk Chocolate Day
• National Dark Chocolate Day
Chocolate Days in Other Countries
• Ghana — February 14th
• Latvia — July 11th
The Role of the National Confectioners Association (NCA)
in the creation of US chocolate holidays.
The National Confectioners Association, the primary trade organization for the U.S. confectionery industry, is a key institutional player in this ecosystem. While the NCA does not (and cannot) claim to have founded World Chocolate Day, its actions demonstrate a clear strategy of creating and promoting chocolate-related holidays:
- The NCA is explicitly credited with creating National Chocolate Day on October 28 to promote the industry.
- The NCA also created National Choose Your Chocolate Day on September 16 to encourage exploration of different chocolate types.
- The NCA actively promotes September 13 as International Chocolate Day, Milton Hershey’s birthday. This linkage directly ties the celebration to the industry itself.
Mindfully Celebrating Chocolate Every Day
If you’re like me (and if you’ve read all the way down this far), you don’t need an excuse to celebrate chocolate once a year. You celebrate chocolate every time you take a bite of a favorite (or new) specialty chocolate bar.
So, even though millions around the world will use the day as an excuse to purchase cheap industrial chocolate (or donuts) at a discount, I will be celebrating World Chocolate Day mindfully.
My morning coffee ritual will be replaced or supplemented with chocolate. I have a small collection of bars from favorite makers and I will browse through them, tasting a few that beckon to me.
I will let the flavor experiences transport me back to cocoa farms and chocolate factories, celebrating not just the chocolate, but celebrating everyone â‹Ż known and anonymous â‹Ż whose hard work, dedication, and perseverance played a part in getting the cocoa bean from the pod to my mouth.
How Do You Plan To Celebrate?
Let us know in the comments. (Not a member? It’s FREE to join.)
Resources
Livia Gershon
References Conquests of Chocolate, also on JSTOR.
Cocoa Runners
The first clearly documented evidence we have of cocoa beans and chocolate being presented to a European court is 1544.
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
View the section under Spread.
HISTORY.com Editors
Even more theories (See under: Spanish Hot Chocolate) tied to cocoa beans as early as 1502.
1534: An alternative theory â‹Ż The first chocolate in Europe was born in Aragon: it did so in a well-known monastery in Zaragoza in the 16th century.
1528: The story according to Alimentarium (a Nestlé foundation) ⋯ The history of chocolate
Hugh Hart
WIRED weighs in (and gets it wrong).
Questions?
If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, you can add them in the Comments below at any time.
Episode Hashtags and Socials
#WorldChocolateDay
#cocoa #cacao #cacau
#chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate
#PodSaveChoc #PSC
#LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife
Future Episodes
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Clay Gordon
Clay Gordon
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